Perez is one of six area students to receive this distinguished honor and is the first student from Middletown High School to achieve this recognition, school officials noted in a statement.
Russell was nominated by her peers for being a compassionate leader in her community and for her exemplary character and dedication to making a difference, said officials.
The Character Council praised her and her fellow honorees for “setting outstanding examples of care and compassion, describing them as agents of positive change in their respective communities.”
“I am honored and grateful that I won the award for Student Hero of Character,” Russell said.
“It reflects me as a person, and the values I have and try to show every day. But I wouldn’t be me without the great role models I have around me,” she said.
The Character Council, founded in 2000, is a nonprofit organization serving Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Southeastern Indiana. Its mission, said council officials, is to foster character development in children and adults, providing a foundation for success.
Middletown High School Principal Carmela Cotter said: “Perez is a wonderful person. As an office aide, she is a standout with exceptional qualities of leadership and responsibility.”
“She is helpful, resourceful, creative, and articulate. I am delighted she is being honored because she is truly deserving,” said Cotter.
Brandon Digiantonio, a counselor at the high school, described Perez as “an exceptional young person that stands out among her peers for two reasons.”
“The first is her genuine kindness and compassion. She was an aide in the counseling office last semester and there helped many students in need of help feel seen, heard and comforted before they even arrived at a counselor’s office,” said Digiantonio.
“The other is her self discipline. She is a planner and works to use all her resources constructively to achieve her goals. Perez understands that it takes a village to do anything and both uses and contributes to her village each and every day. This award recognizes the qualities that Middletown has known of for quite some time.”
As part of this recognition, Russell will be celebrated at the 2025 Heroes of Character, “25 Years of Character” Celebration on April 8 at the Delta Marriott Hotel in Sharonville.
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